Ancient Civilizations of Latin America Inca Aztec and

Ancient Civilizations of Latin America Inca, Aztec, and Mayan

Inca Civilizations ¨ At the height of its existence the Inca Empire was the largest nation on Earth and remains the largest native state to have existed in the western hemisphere ¨ Located in the Andes Mountains – from Ecuador to Chile

Economy ¨ Based primarily on farming ¨ The Andes are some of the tallest, starkest mountains in the world… ¨ Yet the Incas, and the civilizations before them, coaxed harvests from the Andes’ sharp slopes and intermittent waterways through a system of terrace farming.

Society ¨ The Inca had a very advanced road system ¨ The people traveled by foot from village to village ¨ Lived in clans ¨ Calendar based on the sun and moon ¨ Very skilled artisans ¨ Highly organized government

Major Accomplishments ¨ Irrigation systems ¨ System of language ¨ Domesticated the llama and alpaca – Used for clothing

Maya Civilization ¨ Located in Central America and southern Mexico

Economy ¨ Based on trade and agriculture

Accomplishments ¨ Architecture – step pyramid ¨ Hieroglyphics ¨ Fully developed written langauge. ¨ Astronomy

Calendar…The Mayans did not predict the end of the world in 2012… ¨ Mayan were skilled mathematicians. ¨ Invented a 360 day calendar – very similar to the one we use today. ¨ Their calendar did not predict the end of the world. The calendar cycle simply ended.

Aztec Civilization ¨ Located in Central and Southern Mexico

Economy ¨ Based on agriculture, fishing, and trade ¨ Capital city – Tenochtitlan was built on an island in the middle of a lake

Accomplishments ¨ Credited for the discovery of chocolate – Cacao beans were more valuable than gold – acquired through trade ¨ Advanced political system with an emperor